For what its worth I just picked up the late 2012 rMBP with 256k SSD myself and I am extremely happy with this computer. I am not a power user so called. But this seems like an excellent computer to me. I am not aware of any material difference between the late 2012 and the early 2013. I was using a MBA before this and I prefer this computer because it is more robustly constructed. I find the MBA to be a bit fragile. The extra size and weight with the 13" rMBP is negligible.

Well other than spec bump, yes.
More of internal parts though.
The logic boards has changed and ghosting and thermal issue has been fixed on the 2013 model.

Click to expand...

I bought one last month but I got a late-2012 version. Is there anyway I can get them to give me a 2013 version by pointing out faults in the current machine? I am in India, so the stores do not have a take back policy in place, I have to use the Apple Care service to get a replacement..

I bought one last month but I got a late-2012 version. Is there anyway I can get them to give me a 2013 version by pointing out faults in the current machine? I am in India, so the stores do not have a take back policy in place, I have to use the Apple Care service to get a replacement..

Click to expand...

Uh, thats called scam, a fraud which is illegal.
Should I just take in my car some how and say I want a new one Im not satisfied?
Same thing.

UPDATE: I've since bought the late-2012 13" Retina and I'm happy with it. Lucky enough to get my very first perfect Apple unit on the first try...no screen issues, no dead pixels, image retention, no overheating and fan issues, no cosmetic imperfections, I mean this thing is flawless. And to top it all off, I got an extra $100 due to price matching: a total of $1499 for a brand new, perfect 13" Retina MBP with a 256 GB SSD..I'm shocked..hehe...

Final Cut Pro X editing is surprisingly buttery smooth! Just don't try to import and export if you're in a hurry (I usually just do that on my MacPro and save everything on an external hard drive to edit on the go with the rMBP).

Although I experienced a few instances of lag, especially with resizing windows on some applications and websites, and I noticed that it happens more on websites with heavy Adobe Flash. Is anyone else experiencing this on their early-2013 unit? It's nothing major but I am curious to know.

But aren't they supposed to give me a 2013 model when I buy it in 2013?

Click to expand...

Exactly what the person above me said.
If I bought it in beginning of 2012, I would of still got a 2011 model because 2012 model wasnt released yet.
And if it came put couple months later, its your fault for not knowing and not waiting for it.

Well other than spec bump, yes.
More of internal parts though.
The logic boards has changed and ghosting and thermal issue has been fixed on the 2013 model.

Click to expand...

Can you provide a link for that info? From everything I've seen, the 13" is impossible to tell which 'display' manufacturer is used. Also, why would they change out the logic board on a same family CPU update? Other than a spec change, I think the most likely answer is 'No'

UPDATE: I've since bought the late-2012 13" Retina and I'm happy with it. Lucky enough to get my very first perfect Apple unit on the first try...no screen issues, no dead pixels, image retention, no overheating and fan issues, no cosmetic imperfections, I mean this thing is flawless. And to top it all off, I got an extra $100 due to price matching: a total of $1499 for a brand new, perfect 13" Retina MBP with a 256 GB SSD..I'm shocked..hehe.....

Although I experienced a few instances of lag, especially with resizing windows on some applications and websites, and I noticed that it happens more on websites with heavy Adobe Flash. Is anyone else experiencing this on their early-2013 unit? It's nothing major but I am curious to know.

Click to expand...

Congrats on the purchase. There are nightly safari builds you can use to avoid some of the site lag you're seeing. Typically it's due to a poorly coded site, content heavy and as you've noticed, with Flash. Use a flash plugin for safari and you'll be able to choose when you do or don't want the flash content visible. It'll also free up some of your resources while viewing the page

10.8.3 did a pretty good job cleaning up some of the lag in certain sites, but there is still some blame on the site coders themselves and the updates needed to support high resolution monitors. The Intel 4000 has been shown to be a competent GPU driving Apple's own large, high Rez cinema displays...so it's more than capable of handling the resolution on the 13". Software refinements over time should continue to improve these sites and said lag

Can you provide a link for that info? From everything I've seen, the 13" is impossible to tell which 'display' manufacturer is used. Also, why would they change out the logic board on a same family CPU update? Other than a spec change, I think the most likely answer is 'No'

Congrats on the purchase. There are nightly safari builds you can use to avoid some of the site lag you're seeing. Typically it's due to a poorly coded site, content heavy and as you've noticed, with Flash. Use a flash plugin for safari and you'll be able to choose when you do or don't want the flash content visible. It'll also free up some of your resources while viewing the page

10.8.3 did a pretty good job cleaning up some of the lag in certain sites, but there is still some blame on the site coders themselves and the updates needed to support high resolution monitors. The Intel 4000 has been shown to be a competent GPU driving Apple's own large, high Rez cinema displays...so it's more than capable of handling the resolution on the 13". Software refinements over time should continue to improve these sites and said lag

I plan on buying a 13" rMBP later this month from Bestbuy, I would like to think it would be a 2013 model, how do I tell before purchasing ? are there numbers on the box that allow you to check. I'm going for the base model.

I plan on buying a 13" rMBP later this month from Bestbuy, I would like to think it would be a 2013 model, how do I tell before purchasing ? are there numbers on the box that allow you to check. I'm going for the base model.

Click to expand...

Base model 13" rMBP with 128 GB is the exact same CPU, RAM etc as 2012.

MacRumors attracts a broad audience
of both consumers and professionals interested in
the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on
purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.